​Current Location:  Lee Stocking Island, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  14
Weather:  Breezy, low-70s, rain showers in afternoon
Highlights: Left the marina around 9am after filling up with diesel for the big boat, and gas for the dinghy.  Diesel is $4.72 per gallon, but hopefully this latest will last us until we arrive in Florida in mid-May.  Motor-sailed through 4-5 foot swells and 15-knot winds to Lee Stocking Island.  Getting through the cuts was interesting - like going through a washing machine, and had some breakers that were at least 8 feet.  Dropped anchor on the SW side of the island around noon, got some lunch, then went snorkelling for about 2 hours.  Nice area for fish and conch, but no lobster, and this is the last day of the season - bummer!  Terry killed a couple of lion fish, but nothing big enough for dinner, so guess it's chicken tonight.  Rain showers just as we got back to the boat, but cleared up around sunset.  Chatted with Mom, Karen, and Diana tonight after supper, then reading and off to early bed.

​Current Location:  Emerald Bay Marina, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, windy, high-70s
Highlights: After 4 days in the marina, we're getting cabin fever, but looks like the seas are calming, so we'll head out tomorrow.  We've been walking almost every day, almost finished with 2017 taxes, taken care of a few chores on the boat, and finished season 1 of "Man in the High Castle".  Time to go explore the Exumas!

​Current Location:  Emerald Bay Marina, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  12
Weather:  Sunny, breezy, high-70s
Highlights: Low front coming in with some high winds, so we decided to relocate to Emerald Bay Marina (approx 10 miles NW of GT) for the next few days.  Had a nice sail up the coast in 10-15 knot winds, and tied up to the dock around noon.  Took a walk around the resort area, and got some sun at the pool, then joined about 30 other boaters for a meet and greet at the club house.  Had a nice spread laid out for us, including free drinks, and we got to chat with many of our new neighbors.  Back to the boat for 2 more episodes of "Man in the High Castle", then off to bed.

Current Location:  George Town, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, breezy, high-70s
Highlights: Made water this morning while Amy did a load of laundry and baked some bread.  Climbed monument hill again (this time with a camera), then took the dinghy out for some snorkeling.  Picked up a good sized conch and brought it back, then had to google how to clean a conch.  Initially was trying to get the conch out w/o damaging the shell, but that didn't work, so finally resorted to the traditional method.  Had cracked conch with Bahamian mac and cheese, and cole slaw for dinner tonight - was very good.  Watched the first 2 episodes of "Man in the High Castle" on Amazon Prime after dinner, then off to bed.

​Current Location:  George Town, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, breezy, high-70s
Highlights: Listened to the GT cruiser's net at 8AM, then went into George Town for coffee and to walk around Victoria Harbor.  Stopped into a couple of shops, picked up a few items, then went to Chat 'n Chill for lunch with Rovin crew.  Had a nice couple of hours catching up with Kevin and Lacey, then went over to the Blue Ade cave to check out the snorkelling.  Only spent about 30 minutes there (not much to see), then back to the boat for some R&R.  Light dinner tonight (scrambled eggs w. sweet potato hash browns), and watched a Louis L'Amour western before bed.

​Current Location:  George Town, Exumas, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  35
Weather:  Sunny, breezy, high-70s
Highlights: Raised anchor at 7:30 and motor-sailed in light winds and calm seas over to George Town.  Had both engines going for 1st half of trip, but wind picked up around 10, and we finished the trip with one engine only, averaging about 6.5 knots.  Dropped anchor around 2PM, napped for a bit, then took the dinghy over to starfish beach for a nice walk before sunset.  Coming back to the boat, recognized Rovin (Kevin, Lacey, and kids), and had a quick reunion.  Kevin was one of our sailing instructors in Charleston, so looking forward to catching up with them tomorrow. Back on the boat for dinner and early bedtime.

​Current Location:  Salt Pond, Thompson Bay, Long Island, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, calm, high-70s
Highlights: Last day in Thompson Bay (headed for George Town tomorrow), so dropped by the grocery store and marine supply for some last minute items.  Terry checked out the dinghy motor while Amy prepped some snacks, then we went over to "Cruisers Beach" to meet up some of the other boaters anchored in the bay.  Back to the boat around 7PM for light dinner, then early bed, ready for sunrise departure tomorrow.  This has been a very nice anchorage and rest stop - we'll be sad to go, but it's time to scope out the Exumas and learn all the good places to visit before our guests arrive next month.

Current Location:  Salt Pond, Thompson Bay, Long Island, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, calm, high-70s
Highlights: Another lazy day today - mostly sleeping late, reading, and some organizing and cleanup.  Terry finally cleaned out his fishing tackle box.  Scallops and veggies over pasta tonight for dinner.

Current Location:  Salt Pond, Thompson Bay, Long Island, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, calm, high-70s
Highlights: Lazy morning today, then met Jane and Richie for lunch at Tiny's.  Hogfish sandwiches were extremely tasty!  After lunch, we took the dinghy around the point to the beach, and got a nice walk in.  Jane and Richie came over to the boat this evening for dinner and cards (Oh Hell), which we really enjoyed (especially Richie, since he got his revenge on Amy by winning the game).

​Current Location:  Salt Pond, Thompson Bay, Long Island, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, breezy, mid-70s
Highlights: Spent the morning making 175 gallons of water, doing laundrey, and baking bed, then went over to the Mutton festival with Jane and Richie for music, entertainment, and dinner.  Kids did a really cool routine raising the May pole and decorating it with ribbons - fun to watch!

​Current Location:  Salt Pond, Thompson Bay, Long Island, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  22
Weather:  Sunny, breezy, mid-70s
Highlights: Early starrt today to catch favorable tides coming out of the Hog Cay anchorage, then had a nice sail down the Long Island coast to Salt Pond.  Nice surprise along the way - Jane and Richie on Panthera fell in behind us on the way down, and we had a happy reunition in Salt Pond.  Took the dinghy in to pick up some groceries, then stopped at Sou' Side for happy hour and conch races (don't ask - it's an island thing).  Pork tenderloin and grilled veggies over rice for dinner, then Disk 8 (finale) of HH.

​Current Location:  Hog Cay, Long Island, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  32
Weather:  Mostly cloudy, slight breeze, low-70s
Highlights: Started the day early with plans to go snorkelling on Conception Island (approx 15 miles south of Cat Cay).  Half-way down, we changed our minds, due to cloudy weather, building swells, and lousy anchorage possibilities.  Instead, motor-sailed down to Long Island, and tucked in just south of Hog Cay, on the NW tip of the island.  Amy and I both had a fishing rod in the water part of the way, but not a single bite for either of us!  In honor of national pie day (3.14), Amy cooked up Hawaiian Pizza for dinner tonight.  She used the Dei Fratelli Fire Roasted Pizza Sauce that Bill (from Eleuthera) gave us earlier this month - was yummy!   Disk 7 of HH tonight, then off to bed.

​Current Location:  Port Howe, Cat Island, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  13
Weather:  Partly cloudy, breezy, low-70s
Highlights: Walked down to the Hawk's Nest resort for breakfast this morning, then Terry fixed the port AC unit (had an air bubble in the water intake lines) while Amy finished up laundry.  Checked out around 1PM, and motor-sailed around the south coast to Port Howe / Reef Bay.  Spaghetti for dinner tonight, then disk 6 of HH.

​Current Location:  Hawk's Nest Marina, Cat Island, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, breezy, mid-70s
Highlights: Did laundry and de-frosted the freezer today, then took the dinghy up Hawk's Nest Creek again, this time with Island Bound and Elusive crews.  No repeat of yesterday's eagle ray experience, but saw lots of turtles.  Afternoon nap, sundowners on Island Bound, then watched the shark feeding frenzy at the marina dock.  Light dinner tonight (fish sandwiches with cole slaw), then watched disk 5 of HH.

​Current Location:  Hawk's Nest Marina, Cat Island, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  12
Weather:  Cloudy, breezy, afternoon thunderstorms, high-70s
Highlights: Raised anchor around 7:30AM with plans to swing by New Bight to visit the old monastary.  Weather looked pretty threatening, so changed plans and motored straight over to Hawk's Nest Marina for shelter.  Arrived early, and got the boat washed by a good thunderstorm (first close lightening we've had here in the Bahamas).  Cleared up mid-afternoon, so we took the dinghy up Hawk's Nest Creek.  Saw lots of turtles, sharks, a few fish, and one really cool experience with a huge (8-foot length) eagle ray.  Swam right along side of us for 3-4 minutes in crystal clear water.  Got some video that hopefully will be good enough to post on FB.  Back to the boat for dinner (grilled fish over beans and rice), and watched disks 3 and 4 of Horatio Hornblower.

​Current Location:  Fernandez Bay, Cat Island, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  31
Weather:  Mostly sunny, windy, mid-70s
Highlights: Anchorage got "rolly" around 4AM today, so we were up earlier than planned, and raised anchor at 7:30 to head over to Cat Island.  Was buddy boating with Low Flite (John and Christa), but they couldn't get one of their engines running, so they decided to turn around and head back to Rock Sound.  Probably a good decision - we spent 4 hours slogging East into 20 knot headwinds and 5-6 foot swells before finally getting a bit of shelter from Cat Island.  Turned south, raised sails, and finally arrived at Fernandez Harbor at 3PM.  We heard on the VHF that fresh fish would be available at the Govt Dock at 5PM, so we beached the dinghy and walked about 2 miles down the road.  Unfortunately, no boats showed up, so no fish tonight.  We did find a gem of a grocery store, and picked up a few items, including a couple of Klondike bars (yum yum).  Baked beans, hot dogs, and cole slaw for dinner tonight (it is Saturday, afterall), and early bedtime for both of us.

​Current Location:  Half Moon Cay (Little San Salvador) Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  11
Weather:  Mostly sunny, breezy, mid-70s
Highlights: Early start diving/snorkelling around the anchorage trying to find the winch drum, but no luck, so will need to order a new part.  Raised anchor at noon to join up with Elusive, Island Bound, and Low Flite to head over to Half Moon Cay.  Arrived around 3, and had a nice meet-n-greet, plus beach walk with the group.  Half Moon Cay is privately owned by the cruise lines, and one of the big ones was in the bay, but left shortly after we arrived.  Was fun having the place all to ourselves for a little while.  Chicken casserole dinner tonight, and early bedtime - both Amy and I are very tired after last night's ordeal!

​Current Location:  Lighthouse Beach, Eleuthera, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Mostly cloudy, some showers, windy, low-70s
Highlights: Raised anchor at 8AM, and motored west across to Powell Point, then had a nice 3-hour sail south (3-4 foot swells) down the coast to Lighthouse Beach.  Made it safely into the anchorage, but all downhill from there.  Instead of NE swells, which  we were protected from, we got big SW swells rolling into the anchorage, making for some nasty chop.  We set a 2nd anchor hoping to mitigate some of the rolling, then dinghied into the beach (very wet landing).  Had a nice long walk on the beautiful beach and shore, and visited the old lighthouse.  Back to the boat around sunset, and we were tightening up the 2nd anchor using the helm winch when the winch came apart, and the drum flew over the rail into the ocean.  Terry quickly dove in after it, but in the dark water, it was impossible to see.  We took bearings, and hopefully will be able to find it in the morning.   Not much sleep for either of us during the night with all the rolling.

​Current Location:  Rock Sound, Eleuthera, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, windy, mid-70s
Highlights: Last minute provisions run and errands completed before setting sail tomorrow.  Produce from the grocery store, filled the propane tank, and got the boat buttoned down.  Met John and Christa from Low Flite (2015 44 Leopard), and chatted with them - turns out they are also headed same direction as us, so we'll buddy-boat with them also for a few days.

​Current Location:  Rock Sound, Eleuthera, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, windy, mid-70s
Highlights: Lazy day at harbor doing some light reading and boat projects.  Moved the 2nd anchor plus chain/rode from the starboard forward storage back to the newe port stern copmartment.  Takes about 100 pounds from bow to stern - should level the load a bit.  Happy hour at Frigates again, then dinner back on the boat.

​Current Location:  Rock Sound, Eleuthera, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  1
Weather:  Sunny, windy, mid-70s
Highlights: Turned the gen on and made about 120 gallons of water.  Amy did laundry while Terry finished the storage compartments under the sugar scoops.  Moved the boat over to the east side of the bay (shorter dinghy ride into shore), and enjoyed happy hour at Frigates.  Met Brett and Teresa from Elusive, and Mark and Jan from Island Bound, both single-hull sloops, headed south in same direction as us.  We'll plan to buddy-boat with them as we travel south.

​Current Location:  Rock Sound, Eleuthera, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, windy, mid-70s
Highlights: Another day in Rock Sound taking shelter from the strong northerly winds.  Amy worked on organizing the food storage areas, while Terry started working on building storage areas in the engine compartments (lots of room in the stern area behind the rudder posts).  Reading and naps during the late afternoon.  Pork tenderloin with scalloped potatoes and apple sauce for dinner tonight.

​Current Location:  Rock Sound, Eleuthera, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, windy, mid-70s
Highlights: Took the dinghy over to the marina dock this morning (2-mile trip), then walked a couple of miles around the town.  Visited the Ocean Hole, which is a small lake approx 600 feet deep, where fish come begging for food.  Saw porkies, grunts, a couple of big blue tang, and one big french angel fish.  From there, we walked south of town to the Spider Caves, which is a really cool set of caves carved out of the limestone by the sea.  Had a small (approx 50) colony of bats hanging from the roof also.  Late lunch at Sammy's, then walked back to the dinghy, and a choppy ride back to the boat.  Reading and light dinner tonight, then finished watching disk 2 of Horatio Hornblower.

​Current Location:  Rock Sound, Eleuthera, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  22
Weather:  Sunny, breezy, mid-70s
Highlights: Got an early start today after a choppy night at anchor.  Raised anchor around 7AM, and had a nice 3-hour sail down to Rock Sound, with 10-12 knot westerly winds on our beam the whole way.  Anchored against the NW shore of the bay - should be good shelter from the strong northerly winds expected over the next few days.  Spent the afternoon cleaning the boat, reading, and relaxing.  Sausage, peppers, and onions over pasta for dinner tonight, then Terry got his revenge at dominos, beating Amy in a back-and-forth battle before emerging victorious.  We'll play for the crown (best of 3) another night.

​Current Location:  Governor's Harbor, Eleuthera, Bahamas
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, breezy, mid-70s
Highlights: Slept in today, then took the dinghy into Governor's Harbor (very wet ride across the harbor!) to run some errands.  Topped off the phones at the BTC, then picked up some produce and odds and ends at the grocery store.  Was going to fill up the dinghy gas tanks, but by the time we got back to the dinghy, the harbor was getting pretty choppy, so we went straight back to the boat.  Wind is shifting around to the west, so we debated about moving to a more sheltered anchorage, but finally decided that we have good holding here, and winds and waves hopefully won't be too strong tonight.  Hate being against a lee shore, so will probably be up several times tonight to check the anchor watch.  Light dinner, blog update, reading, and early bed tonight.